The prior art includes various devices for exercising the neck muscles wherein weights are applied to head gear and the subject, wearing the head gear, moves his head back and forth to exercise the neck. Such devices are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,051,366 Catron, U.S. Pat. No. 2,855,202 Kinne, U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,193 Newman and U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,124 Vogler.
The pertinent art has developed from the aforesaid devices to apparatus where the subject, while in a standing position, moves his head against a movement arm against a resistance such as a shock absorber cylinder as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,259 Brentham or a friction brake as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,249 Forrest or a weight fixed to the movement arm as disclosed in U.S Pat. No. 4,302,055 Silverman. However, in each of these prior art devices the subject, during the exercise, is in a standing position with his arms being free to apply leverage or forces to a frame such as in Forrest and Brentham. Such action may aid the neck muscles such that the neck muscles are not entirely isolated to provide pure neck muscle exercise. In these circumstances, it is difficult to obtain accurate measurement of the strength or performance of the neck muscles per se. While Brentham attempts to immobilize the lower torso, he provides no restraint of the back and seat of the subject and the subject's arms are free to pushoff the frame of the device. Moreover, with these devices, no attempt is made to counterbalance the mass and weight of the subject's head which provision must be made if accurate testing or exercise of the neck muscles per se is to be achieved